


Public Displays Of Affection

by afteriwake



Series: Lingering Winter [20]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 11:30:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitsugaya and Karin engage in a rather public reveal of their feelings for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Public Displays Of Affection

Students gave Karin and Tatsuki wide berth as they made their way across the academy grounds. But at the moment Tatsuki was too annoyed to notice.

“…And he thinks that because I used some advanced moves on him in the middle of class that I should have let him win the fight? They’re not going to learn anything if I don’t fight to the best of my ability. I _know_ what I’m doing when it comes to self-defense.”

Karin hid a smile. “I think it has to do more with Ichigo being the teacher of the class, and you being better than him.”

“No, it has more to do with Ichigo being my boyfriend and me being better than him,” Tatsuki said with a sigh. “But while he was off leading a bunch of shinigami I was winning championships and teaching karate and self defense for years. I _am_ better at it than him and he just needs to accept it.”

Karin looked around and pointed to a tree. “No one seems to be around there. Maybe we should go sit there?”

That brought Tatsuki out of her rant. She stopped and looked at the tree, and then looked around. Some students moved quickly when she looked at them, and others gossiped among themselves and pointed at the two of them. “No, let’s go somewhere more secluded than that. I’m sick of the stares and stuff.”

Karin nodded as they began to walk again. “You’re telling me. I’m the daughter of the Captain-Commander, sister of the fifth division Captain, and girlfriend of the tenth division Captain. Be happy you’re just Ichigo’s girlfriend.”

“I keep forgetting that,” Tatsuki said. “You really do have it rougher than me.”

“If I hear one more person ask me what extracurricular activities with Toshiro are like one more time I’m going to beat the crap out of them,” Karin said. “He does actually help me learn all this stuff. I’m not a natural like you.”

“I’m not really a natural,” she said. “But I don’t go to Ichigo to learn, I go to Rukia. She’s a better teacher.”

Karin laughed. “She is, isn’t she? Kidou seems to be the only thing I’m really mastering, other than self defense.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she moves you into Hinamori’s group soon.” Tatsuki scanned the crowd and grinned. “And here comes her old friend now.”

“Karin!”

Karin turned around at the sound of her name and smiled as Hitsugaya came up to them. Her smile faded as she saw the look on his face. “What’s wrong, Tosh—I mean, Captain Hitsugaya?”

He looked around and glared at the clusters of students who were doing their best not to eavesdrop. “I told you to call me Toshiro,” he said quietly.

“Not when I’m at the academy!” she hissed. “Here you’re the teacher and I’m the student. We’ve been over this.”

He looked at her, and then looked down. “I apologize.”

“It’s okay. I almost forgot, too,” she said, reaching over to touch his shoulder. He looked up and saw a smile on her face, and he visibly relaxed. “Now, why did you look so upset?”

The relaxed state disappeared in a flash. “Why did you not tell me the other students were harassing you?”

“Because I didn’t want you to cause a scene and freeze them all up in walls of ice,” she said quietly in a slightly annoyed voice. “You’re not supposed to show favoritism.”

“Kurosaki does.”

“Ichigo’s the son of the Captain Commander. If he wants to play favorites no one in their right mind is going to say anything, especially with Tatsuki kicking his ass in self defense classes,” she said with a smirk. “They all know if they say anything he can just sic Tatsuki on them.”

“Hey, I am not a dog!” Tatsuki said, glaring at her friend.

“I know. But people like him and fear you, so that’s why no one really says anything about it,” Karin said with a sigh. “Captain Hitsugaya, just let it go.”

Hitsugaya ground his teeth together. “It is a matter of pride, Karin.”

“Whose pride, yours or mine?” she asked.

“Both,” he replied.

She shook her head. “I can handle it.”

“What if I cannot?”

“You can. You’re the youngest Captain in history. You’ve probably had to deal with a lot of crap because of that.”

Hitsugaya started to respond when he turned and looked at two students nearby. “You.” He said, pointing at them. “Come here.”

The laughing looks they had on their faces vanished as they got closer. “Y-yes, Ca-captain Hitsugaya?” one of them asked.

“Did you just make an unkind remark about Karin Kurosaki?” he said, glaring at the one who had answered.

“Y-y-yes,” he stammered. “I—“

Before he could finish Hitsugaya grabbed him by the front of the robes and pulled him forward so their faces were inches apart. “Apologize.”

“I—I am s-sorry, Karin Kuro-kurosaki,” he said, moving his face slightly so he could look at her. “I will not say any such thing again.”

Hitsugaya let him go and he stumbled backwards slightly. “You had best not say anything to her.”

“Toshiro!” Karin said, her eyes wide and a mortified expression on her face. “I can’t _believe_ you did that!”

“If you do not care about your pride then I will care about it for you,” he said.

She tossed her books onto the ground and moved so that her face was inches from his. “I never said I didn’t care about my pride! I’m going to keep my pride no matter what anyone here has to say about you or my relationship with you! I just didn’t want to be embarrassed and have everyone say even more stupid things, Toshiro!”

“I embarrassed you?” he said, taking a step back.

“Yes! My brother would have done something like this, and it wouldn’t have embarrassed me as much.”

He looked down at the ground. “I offer my most profound apologies then, Karin,” he said quietly.

“Oh, Toshiro,” she said softly. “I love you, and I don’t care what all these people say. I never have.”

His head snapped up. “You love me?”

“Well, yeah,” she said, a strange expression on her face. “I’ve told you before…right?”

“No. If you had told me before this would have been a memory I would never let go of.”

“I didn’t tell you?” she asked, looking confused. “I could have sworn I told you already.”

He shook his head. “No. I promise, you have never told me that.”

“Oh,” she said, blushing slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“It should have been something I didn’t blurt out in front of all these people. It should have just been between you and me.”

He shook his head, grinning. “I don’t care who knows.” He moved forward and cupped her face. “You love me, as I love you.”

“Really?” she said, grinning.

“Yes, really.”

She looked at him. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“I thought you didn’t like public displays of affection.”

“I will make an exception in this case.” He grinned at her and leaned in, kissing her deeply. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back as cheers started to go off among the assembled crowd of students. When they pulled apart they were both grinning wide grins.

“What’s going on here?” Ichigo said as he pushed his way through the crowd, coming next to Tatsuki. “Was there a fight?”

“No, just a nice declaration of love,” Tatsuki said, grinning at her boyfriend. “Look at them.”

Ichigo looked at the couple in front of them, who were kissing again. “Huh. I thought he didn’t like public displays of affection.”

“Well, he caused a scene and Karin was mortified and he apologized and she told him she loved him for the first time and he kissed her,” she said. “It was sweet.” Then she turned to him. “And don’t ever do that to me or I’ll kick your ass.”

“So noted,” he said with a nod. “No public declarations of love. Check.”

Tatsuki looked at him and then laughed. “You can still hold my hand in public.”

He reached over and laced his fingers in hers as Karin and Hitsugaya broke apart and walked away, oblivious of everyone around them. “Well, that’s something, at least.”

Tatsuki laughed harder and squeezed his hand. “Let go long enough to pick up your sisters books and I may let you kiss me behind the student dormitories.”

He let go and picked up the books. “Is that a promise?”

“Only as long as you don’t drool over the prospect of it,” she said, her warm laughter fading into a cheerful smile.

“No drooling. Got it.” He shifted the books to his other arm and took her hand in his. “So…student dorms now?”

“I was thinking we might take a long detour to get there, but yes, the student dorms would be our final destination.”

“And just what would we be doing before we got there?” he asked.

“You can get me lunch first, because I’m starving after kicking your butt.”

He groaned slightly. “I’m just thinking of taking you out of the class and having you teach it with me. Then I won’t hurt so much.”

“Really?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“Yeah, really,” he said with a nod. “Dad already said I could, if I wanted to. He was pretty sure this was one class you didn’t need anyway.”

“People will talk.”

“People already talk. Unless you want me to get up in people’s faces about it, I don’t see how it will be any different than it is now.”

Tatsuki started laughing again. “Please, anything but that. That would lead to a public declaration of love.” Ichigo looked at her, confused, and she laughed even harder before tugging his arm and moving towards the food area “I’ll explain over lunch.”


End file.
